INSTRUCTION MANUAL

for the IBM® PC and PCjr

THE QUEST FOR THE AMULET

How long has it been?

How many lifetimes have passed since I began my sojourn through this maze of underground passageways, of damp, dimly lit chambers? How long have I been alone, the only human among a menacing crew of hideous subterranean beasts, stumbling over forlorn reminders that others have passed this way before me... never to return!

Long before I forgot the warmth of the noonday sun or the refreshing coolness of the evening breeze, I forgot my name. Call me what you will. I am the Rogue.

As I wander, I hold fast in my mind the one object that stands out from all the others: the sacred Amulet of Yendor. This precious gift was left behind by magicians of old to remind mankind of its origins. Stolen by the evil Dungeon Lord, who despised its beauty and purity, the Amulet has remained hidden in the deepest reaches of this tortuous maze, calling those who seek it to sure destruction.

Long ago, I began my quest for this object, this prize spoken of only in hushed tones by even the bravest Knights and Guildmasters around the dying embers of evening fires. Long ago, the magic Amulet of Yendor began burning its way into my heart, began drawing me here to my uncertain fate.

Somehow, I found my way to this place, rolled back the moss-covered stone, and entered its darkness. Now I abide here, searching endlessly for the precious Amulet... and finding a thousand horrors.

Through these unlit corridors I wander, stumbling in the dark, encountering new ordeals at every turn. In one chamber, heat causes my suit of armor to burn the very skin it was designed to protect. In another, a chill penetrates to the bone, turning my limbs to ice.

Everywhere, I am relentlessly pursued by beasts and demons. I cannot begin to count them. There are creatures of every low and mean quality lurking here. Formless slimes and aquators, bats and goblins, centaurs, and that most hideous and unnatural of creatures, the Ur-vile. Fortunately, my ever ready mace serves to quickly dispatch many of my adversaries. Against other, stronger beasts, I must defend myself with other weapons: arrows, daggers, magic wands or deadly potions. I stumble from battle to battle, taking care to rest occasionally, or to partake of a few morsels of food.

One gift the magicians make available to true seekers of the amulet — and to them alone — is the gift of life after life. Yet even this gift is tainted with a curse by the Lord of the Dungeon. For each time I sleep the sleep called death, I find myself carried, unknowingly, back to the very first room of the highest level of the dungeon, from whence I must again begin the tortuous, unpredictable journey time and time again.

Why does nothing now look familiar? Is this another of the Dungeon Lord's tricks — or is it my rapidly eroding memory that makes everything seem changed. I wake from the sleep called death to find that nothing is the same. Everything is transformed, familiar yet treacherously rearranged.

As I plumb the uncharted depths of this Dungeon of Doom, I wonder. Where am I? Is this a passageway I've trudged before? Is this the chamber in which I left my cloak of chain mail? Does this wall conceal a trap door I found and lost lifetimes ago?

On my way I must acquire the provisions that make themselves available to me — despite the fact that they were left behind by the miserable victims of this place. Here a bit of food, and there a suit of armor from an unfortunate owner. Quivers of arrows for my sturdy short bow... oh yes, and magic wands, enchanted staffs, and potent elixers, some powerfully good, some horribly evil. Manuscripts of ancient texts, meaningless to my eyes, which vanish in thin air before I can begin to understand them. And of course, gold! A king's ransom of it, yet useless unless I somehow make my way to the very bottom of the dungeon and back again.

As I collect these objects and put them in my knapsack, I must discard others... or use them at once to fend off the adversaries that dog my every step.

Still, even my few possessions are affected by the Dungeon Lord's spells. Potions which in lifetimes past revitalized me, now send me sprawling on the floor, clutched in spasms, burning with fever. Armor which served me in battle after battle becomes a crushing burden, cursed by the Dungeon Lord.

Each time I attempt to plumb these depths, I must be constantly attentive. Should my guard slip for a moment, I will fall prey to the horrors that surround me.

In my mind, shining like a beacon in the darkness, the Amulet of Yendor beckons me on, deeper and deeper. One day I shall hold it in my hand, caress it in the void, then race, level by level, back to the surface. There I shall hold it high, deliver it once again to the light of day, and reclaim again the name so long ago forgotten.

YOU ARE THE ROGUE ™

Your quest is to fight your way through the Dungeons of Doom and return with the fabled Amulet of Yendor (or die trying). For protection, you have been given armor, an enchanted mace, a bow, and a quiver filled with arrows. At the beginning of your journey you have food to last you one meal. In the dungeons you will find more food and weapons left behind by previous unlucky seekers. As you descend, search out these hidden treasures, gold pieces, and magical potions to help you in your ultimate search — the quest for the Amulet. But be prepared for the many monsters that will make your journey challenging. As you proceed through each journey you will be ranked on your quest. Return triumphant and enter the highest ranks of the Guildmaster's Hall Of Fame.

GETTING STARTED

ACCEPT THE CHALLENGE

Set up your IBM® PC or PCjr as shown in the Owner's Manual.

Insert your MS-DOS disk into the disk drive (drive A on two drive systems).

Turn ON the computer.

When MS-DOS is loaded, insert the ROGUE program disk into the drive, label facing up and the oval cutout pointed toward the back of the system.

Type the command rogue.

NOTE: ROGUE only accepts DOS disks which are 2.0 or greater. Optional loading techniques for playing ROGUE on monochrome monitors or for restarting games previously saved to a disk can be found in the section COMPUTER OPTIONS AND VARIATIONS.

STARTING PLAY

INTO THE DARKNESS

After the title screen appears press any key to advance to the next screen. You will be asked to name your rogue character. The name can be up to 23 characters. Type in your name and press the ENTER key () on the keyboard.

The next screen opens onto the first of 26 levels of the Dungeons of Doom. Throughout play, two help keys provide guidance as you master the game.

The F1 key or ? gives you a list of all keyboard commands.

The F2 key or / lists and identifies all the objects that you may encounter during your descent into the dungeon.

GAME PLAY

THROUGH THE MAZE!

The first room of the dungeon appears on the screen as shown below:

The objects you encounter during your descent into the Dungeons of Doom include:

the hero

some gold

a magic staff

the floor

a weapon

a magic ring

a door

a potion

a trap

a passage

some armor

a scroll

a wall

some food

safe, and perilous magic

a staircase

the Amulet of Yendor

26 different monsters

You can see this same list at any time by pressing the F2 or / key.

Level:5

Indicates the current dungeon level being explored.

Hits:39(40)

Current level of life expectancy. It indicates how many wounds you can sustain before you die. The number in parentheses is the maximum potential endurance. The two numbers are the same initially, but as you do battle, the first number decreases. If it reaches 0, you die. However, the upper limit of your endurance continues to grow as you survive succeeding battles.

Str:17(17)

Current level of strength. The higher the number, the stronger you are. The number in parentheses is the upper limit of your magical powers — which can be changed up or down by quaffing certain potions, wearing magic rings, and getting bitten.

Gold:633

The number of gold pieces picked up and held onto so far.

Armor:5

The protective value of the armor currently being worn. The higher the number, the greater your ability to withstand an attack by a monster.

Fighter

The current rank in the select legion of seekers after the Amulet. As you increase your skills, your current rank will be updated — from no status, through Guild Novice, Apprentice, Journeyman, Adventurer, Fighter, Warrior, and many more.

NOTE: The bottom right of the screen displays the time. If you do not set the time before you run ROGUE (either manually or automatically if you have a clock card) then the displayed time will be wrong.

MOVING IN THE DUNGEON

The cursor key pad on the right side of your keyboard will enable you to move in any of the eight directions shown, depending on where you are in the hallways and dungeons. As you move through the door of the dungeon, the passageways will light up and remain unveiled. Some passageways are dead ends, others lead through tortuous twists and turns to other rooms. (Refer to the COMMANDS section for complete instructions on moving in the dungeons.)

NOTE: When using the PCjr, you will have to use the letter keys for the directions as shown below:

DESCRIBING THE ACTION

As you descend into the dungeon, messages will appear at the top of your screen. These describe either items or actions which you face during your quest. Messages may be followed by either the word More or Cont. More indicates that another message follows the one currently displayed. Press the SPACE BAR to read the next message. Cont appears if a message is too long to fit onto the top line. In this case, pressing the SPACE BAR will scroll the rest of the message onto the top line. If a message disappears before you get a chance to read it, press F4 or CTRL and r to repeat the same message. If the end of a message is covered by More or Cont and you cannot read it, pressing any key other than the SPACE BAR will reveal the hidden words.

TAKING ON THE DUNGEON DWELLERS

As you move through the dungeons, monsters will come after you and attack. To engage them in combat, move directly into them with your directional keys. Blow by blow descriptions of the battle will appear at the top of the screen. Sometimes, a monster will be sleeping and you can sneak by or attack it unawares. But remember, discretion is the better part of valor; it is most discrete to let sleeping monsters lie.

Every action in ROGUE, including fighting, is a random event. Therefore you must devise a play strategy that includes all possibilities. If you are defeated in battle, pull yourself up by your bootstraps and fight again. If your strategy in discovering the secrets of the dungeon or battling your adversaries fails you, try another. Here are some examples:

Practice fighting the monsters at easier levels to develop a strategy for the more difficult adversaries you'll encounter deeper in the dungeon.

Stalk certain foes with your bow and arrow, remaining safely at a distance.

Magic wands and staffs are also effective for fighting powerful adversaries from a distance.

The COMMANDS section contains complete instructions for using objects and weapons properly.

PICKING UP OBJECTS

As you explore the rooms and passageways of the dungeon, you encounter objects left behind by previous seekers of the Amulet. To pick up an object, move over it, and it will be added to your pack. To find out what you have in your pack at any time, press the F7 function key or i for an inventory.

The supplies and weapons you carry with you can be useful in many ways. You can drink potions for power, read scrolls for guidance, wield wands or maces in offense, or wear magical armor in defense. The COMMANDS section contains complete instructions for using objects and weapons properly.

COMMANDS

All commands in ROGUE are initiated with a single keystroke. Many moves require additional information, in which case you will be asked to select an item in your pack by pressing a lettered key or a directional key. If at this time you decide not to continue with the command, press the ESC key to cancel.

MOVEMENT

The movement commands on the key pad can be prefixed by pressing the letter f. This will move your character continuously, stopping only when you hit a monster, door, wall, or other obstacle. After you have learned to move skillfully through the rooms and passageways, you may want to move faster. Press the SCROLL LOCK key to put ROGUE into the FAST PLAY MODE. To stop FAST PLAY, press SCROLL LOCK again.

Sometimes the forces of the dungeon will prevent you from finding all the ins and outs of a level. To search for secret doors or hidden traps type s. Your search may require some perseverance — repeated attempts may fail to reveal an escape. When you search, the areas covered are all eight spaces directly adjacent to you. You may have to search down the entire length of a wall of several rooms in order to find hidden doorways or passageways.

Certain commands (search, rest, move) can be preceded by a number. To perform a number of searches at once, type a number before typing s; for example, type 10s to perform 10 searches. The number before such a command may be up to 9999 (however, this uses up time). After you enter it, it is displayed in the lower right corner of the screen. You can interrupt an extended search at any time by pressing SCROLL LOCK.

MASTERING YOUR WEAPONS

Monsters are generally fought by moving directly into them (and using your mace). However, if you do not wish to engage in hand-to-hand combat, you can use long range weapons. These include potions, arrows, or daggers that can be thrown at monsters. Wands or staffs may be used to zap them. Type t to throw or z to zap. Then indicate the direction you want to throw or zap with a direction key. To take a quick inventory of your personal armory, press F7 or i. Each item in your knapsack is prefaced by a lower case letter and is grouped with similar items. After pressing t or z, you have to press the letter corresponding to the weapon you wish to use. For example, to fight a hobgoblin from a distance, you'll want to put down your mace and pick up your bow. Type w to put down the mace and select a new weapon, then type the appropriate letter to pick up the bow. Type t to throw an arrow and press a direction key to indicate the arrow's course. Finally press the appropriate letter to select an arrow, draw your bow and shoot. Use the F3 key or a key to repeat and launch another arrow.

NOTE: Make sure you wield your bow before throwing arrows, otherwise the arrows will not be as effective.

Certain weapons and other objects in your knapsack are prefaced by numbers which indicate changes from their normal values. The first number indicates how likely it is to hit the monster, and the second indicates how much damage it is likely to do. The higher the number, the more effective the item.

Armor is prefaced with a positive or negative value which signifies its protective strength. Here are the various items of armor you may find in your quest, and the ordinary protective strength of each item:

(No Armor)

1

Leather Armor

3

Studded Leather Armor

4

Ring Mail

4

Scale Mail

5

Chain Mail

6

Banded Mail

7

Splint Mail

7

Plate Mail

8

After a particularly grueling encounter with an adversary, you will probably find that your endurance (hits) have diminished due to blows sustained in battle. You can regain some of these hits by resting. Type and hold the . (period key). But be on your guard, even while pausing to catch your breath, there is no respite from the denizens of the dungeon.

USING OBJECTS

Everything you encounter in your sojourn can be picked up and put into your knapsack — until it is full. When this happens, you will have to use or drop an object. To drop an object press d. To use an object, you must use the appropriate command to perform the action. For example, q is for quaffing (drinking) potions, r is for reading scrolls, and e is for eating food. After you press one of these commands, you will be asked which object to use. Press the corresponding lettered key next to the item you wish to use.

Many times in your journey, you will encounter nameless objects, scrolls, or potions of unknown origin. When you encounter these nameless ones, you will be asked to give them a name yourself. Once you have used the item and recognized its power, you may rename it by pressing F5 or c.

NOTE: Some objects — staffs, potions, and scrolls — change each time you descend into the dungeons. A blue potion may make you deathly ill in one sojourn, and act as a revitalizing elixer in the next. The dungeons yield up their mysteries very slowly. You will plumb their depths time after time before you know all the mysteries they hold. To keep track of all the wondrous objects you have found in the current game, press F6 or D for a list.

SAVING OR RESTARTING A GAME

If you wish to save a game and continue playing it later, type an S. The following message will appear:

Save file (press enter () to default to "rogue.sav")?

There is enough room on the ROGUE disk to save one game. Press the ENTER () key to save the game in the rogue.sav file. Otherwise type a new name. The name may be eight letters, followed by a period and a three letter extender. Press ENTER when you have typed the proper name.

A saved game can be restarted by typing rogue followed by the file name of the saved game. For example, if the game was saved with the file name b:mine.sav you would restart the game by typing rogue b:mine.sav. The game will then restart from the point at which it was saved. If you get either of the following messages:

Out of space, cannot write (file name)Sorry, you can't save the game just now

You will have to try saving the game on another disk.

COMPUTER OPTIONS AND VARIATIONS

COMMAND LINE OPTIONS

There are five ways that you can begin ROGUE from DOS:

rogue — Starts a new game.

rogue /r — Automatically restarts a saved game using the file name rogue.sav on the rogue disk.

rogue /s — Displays the current rankings in the Guildmasters Hall of Fame without having to start a game.

rogue /bw — If you have a color graphics card and are using a black and white monitor, starting a new game of ROGUE with this option will improve the clarity of the screen.

rogue (file name) — Restarts a new game using a game saved in (file name).

SYSTEM AND MEMORY CONFIGURATIONS

If you only have 128K of memory, there may not be enough memory to include loadable device drivers or any other files that take over portions of memory prior to booting the ROGUE program. For example, if you run the DOS "PRINT" command, you may have to reboot the disk before running ROGUE.

For your convenience, the disk has space allocated for system tracks so that you can make the ROGUE disk bootable with the "SYS" command.

SYSTEM KEYS

The PRT SCN (Print Screen) key has not been disabled. If there is no printer hooked up to your system, it may appear as if the system has hung if you inadvertently press this key. However, the game will resume after a short delay.

If you are running ROGUE with "break=on" then you can interrupt ROGUE in unpredictable ways. To avoid this possibility, remove this from the config.sys or type "break=off" before running ROGUE.

ENVIRONMENT FILES

ROGUE can read the file ROGUE.OPTS from the default drive for ROGUE customization. This file is a series of lines in the format name=value. The following is a list of the ROGUE environment variables that may be changed.

name

This will be used as the character name if no name is entered at the beginning of the game.

savefile

Gives the default file name to be used for saving and restoring games. This can be overridden. Initial value is ROGUE.SAV.

scorefile

This tells the ROGUE program where to keep the list of high scores. Initial value is ROGUE.SCR.

menu

Enables or disables the auto menu feature. Currently this automatically displays a list of items to select from when asked for a selection. To disable, set menu to off. To be selective about which commands ROGUE should automatically display the menu for, set the menu to selective. Then the drop and eat commands will not display a menu when executed unless you explicitly request one by typing the * (asterisk) key.

macro

The default macro for the F9 function key.

drive

Tells ROGUE where to look for the ROGUE diskette. If this is not a legal drive, the default (or current) drive will be used. If this is not set, then ROGUE will print a message and pause after it loads, but before checking the default drive. This is useful for people with single drive systems.

fruit

Will determine what kind of fruit you will find in the dungeons.

NOTE: To set or change default values/options use the program MKOPT contained in the ROGUE disk. Type MKOPT after loading your MS-DOS disk.

MONITOR CONFIGURATIONS

Saving games on one monitor type and restoring them on another is not suggested. ROGUE will not allow this at all if the screen sizes are different. If you restore a game which was saved from a color monitor, and you are now using a monochrome (black and white) monitor, the characters on the screen will be difficult to see.

If you are running ROGUE with a monochrome monitor on a color graphics card, you will have to set up the IBM PC to understand this configuration. The command MODE BW80 will do this. You can select black and white attributes by executing the game with ROGUE /BW.

COMMANDS REFERENCE CARD

The following is a complete list of all the commands used in the ROGUE program. Certain commands have several keys which perform the same function:

MOVEMENT/FIGHTING

KEY(S)

COMMAND(S)

, h

Moves you left one space.

H

Moves you left until you run into a wall or door.

f

Moves you left until you are near an object.

, j

Moves you down one space.

J

Moves you down until you run into a wall or door.

f

Moves you down until you are near an object.

, k

Moves you up one space.

K

Moves you up until you run into a wall or door.

f

Moves you up until you are near an object.

, l

Moves you right one space.

L

Moves you right until you run into a wall or door.

f

Moves you right until you run into an object.

Home, y

Moves you diagonally, up and to the left.

Y

Moves you diagonally, up and to the left until you run into a wall or door.

f Home

Moves you diagonally, up and to the left until you are near an object.

End, b

Moves you diagonally, down and to the left.

B

Moves you diagonally, down and to the left until you run into a wall or door.

f End

Moves you diagonally, down and to the left until you are near an object.

PgUp, u

Moves you diagonally, up and to the right.

U

Moves you diagonally, up and to the right until you run into a wall or door.

f PgUp

Moves you diagonally, up and to the right until you are near an object.

PgDn, n

Moves you diagonally, down and to the right.

N

Moves you diagonally, down and to the right until you run into a wall or door.

f PgDn

Moves you diagonally, down and to the right until you are near an object.

NOTE: The above commands are also used for fighting monsters.

s, Del

Search for hidden traps and secret doors in area adjacent to you.

f

Find something. When followed by a direction, this will allow you to move continuously until you run into a wall or door.

g

Go over. Allows you to step on an item without picking it up. Used as a prefix before a direction key.

>, Ins

When standing on a staircase, this allows you to go down the staircase, deeper into the dungeon, to the next level.

<

When standing on a staircase, this allows you to go up the staircase, out of the dungeon, to the next level.

^, F8

Identifies the trap type. (You will have to give the direction of the trap.)

SCROLL LOCK

Fast Play Mode. When engaged, you move through the rooms and passageways continuously until you run into a door, monster, or other object. Also stops any count currently being performed.

USING OBJECTS/FIGHTING

c, F5

Renames an object which you have not yet identified.

d

Drop an object. To take something out of your pack and leave it on the dungeon floor.

e

Eat food. Takes food out of your pack to eat.

P

Put a ring on your hand.

q

Quaff (drink) one of the potions you are carrying.

r

Read one of the scrolls in your pack.

R

Remove a ring you are wearing and put it back into your pack.

t, +

Throw an object (i.e. arrow, dagger). (This command is followed by a direction.)

T

Take off the armor you are currently wearing.

w

Wield a new weapon.

W

Wear a different piece of armor.

z, –

Zap a monster with a wand or staff. (This command is followed by a direction.)

GENERAL (Function Keys)

F1, ?

Lists all the Commands (Help).

F2, /

Lists all the symbols used in the game.

F3, a

Repeat the last command given.

F4, Ctrl r

Repeat message.

F5, c

Rename object.

F6, D

List items that have been discovered.

F7, i

Inventory of all items in your pack.

F8, ^

Identify type of trap. (This command is followed by a direction.)

F9

Any key. (Alt F9 defines this key to any command you wish to use.)

F10, !

Clears the screen, and starts up a fake DOS. Hitting any function key or typing rogue will put you back in the game. (This can be used when playing Rogue at work when you shouldn't be!)

Ctrl t

Terse message mode.

Q

Quit and exit from ROGUE.

S

Save the current game

v

Prints the current version number.

Esc

Cancels a command before you execute it.

.

Allows you to rest and heal (regain hit points).

0-9

Number keys preceding a command allow you to repeat the command that number of times.

LIMITED WARRANTY

Epyx, Inc., warrants to the original purchaser of this Epyx software product that the medium on which this computer program is recorded is free from defects in materials and workmanship for a period of ninety (90) days from the date of purchase. This Epyx software program is sold "as is," that is without express or implied warranty of any kind, and Epyx is not liable for any losses or damages of any kind resulting from use of this program. Epyx agrees for a period of ninety (90) days to either repair or replace, at its option, free of charge, any Epyx software product, postage paid, with proof of date of purchase, at its Factory Service Center.

This warranty is not applicable to normal wear and tear. This warranty shall not be applicable and shall be void if the defect in the Epyx software product has arisen through abuse, unreasonable use, mistreatment or neglect. THIS WARRANTY IS IN LIEU OF ALL OTHER EXPRESS WARRANTIES AND NO OTHER REPRESENTATION OR CLAIMS OF ANY NATURE SHALL BE BINDING ON OR OBLIGATE EPYX. ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES APPLICABLE TO THIS SOFTWARE PRODUCT, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, ARE LIMITED TO THE NINETY (90) DAY PERIOD DESCRIBED ABOVE. IN NO EVENT WILL EPYX BE LIABLE FOR ANY SPECIAL, INCIDENTAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGE RESULTING FROM POSSESSION, USE OR MALFUNCTION OF THIS EPYX SOFTWARE PRODUCT.

Some states do not allow limitations as to how long an implied warranty lasts and/or the exclusion or limitation of incidental or consequential damages so the above limitations and/or exclusions or limitation of liability may not apply to you. This warranty gives you specific legal rights, and you may also have other rights which vary from state to state.

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